Honestly, I've started wondering if this might be the last tour, period. I mean, they mentioned not wanting to waste time after Bruce's cancer scare, and people straight assumed that meant another album right after TBoS tour. But what if they actually meant was "we want to tour as much as we can while we still can" and any new album they may or may not make is well down the list of priorities?
What if the reason they jumped into this so quickly and even came out and confirmed they'll also be touring America in 2019 on the same tour is because they're well aware Nicko might not be able to do a proper history tour as a sendoff a few years down the line? That realistically they can probably still do one album after, but a tour is out of the question? It's not something they'd likely come out and say, so time will tell, but I'm just starting to get that kinda vibe. Maybe that's why Bruce is talking about wanting to wow people a bit - because he knows it might be one of the last chances to do so.
It’s pretty clear that this is one of their las tours. The guitarists and Steve don’t seem to have too many problems as of now, but Nicko is old and Bruce’s voice is sometimes a bit sketchy. Realistically there will be maximum another two tours after this one.
If this is their last tour and they just want to keep classy and not announce it, then it has to mean something for the setlist, since there are songs they kinda have to play again before retiring, like ROTAM. The setlist would probably be composed of 80’s classics with a couple popular reunion songs like The Wicker Man and El Dorado. To be fair, that would be consistent with the tour announcement, but probably not with Bruce’s interviews. I wouldn’t be happy about it but it’s better to end on a strong note than dragging on for too long, and the “boring” setlist would be an inevitable consequence. Personally I’ve never been to a Maiden show so I don’t have much ground to complain, even though I like the reunion era a lot.
If this is their second last tour, then there won’t be another album, since ending with an album tour would be very strange for a band with their history. In this case we could expect a pretty surprising setlist, otherwise we would have two identical tours in a row.
If they think of putting out another album and having another two tours, then having the tour go in 2019 would be an almost suicidal move. An album tour of theirs has to visit the whole world, and the same goes for a farewell tour, even if they decide to not announce it that way. So they would have to be confident they can keep going without stopping for at least another five years, and I’m not sure they can do that.
To be honest, I’m not entirely sure if they have actually had a serious talk about this. Amyway, we also need to remember that because of their age danger is always around the corner and hope for the best
